Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett was upset with Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett following Sunday's game, calling him "classless" for not coming out on the field to check on Ricardo Lockette after the wide receiver went down on a scary collision while covering a punt. Lockette was motionless on the ground for several minutes after the play and had to be immobilized and taken off the field on a stretcher.
Michael Bennett calls Jason Garrett ‘classless’ for not checking on injured Ricardo Lockette
Michael Bennett thought that neither Jason Garrett nor the referees did enough to support Ricardo Lockette when the wide receiver went down while covering a punt.
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“I know our coach would’ve did the same thing, so I thought that was a classless play by him,” Bennett said, via the Dallas Morning News. “That’s super scary because at the end of the day you guys talk about this or talk about that but at the end of the day it’s just a game. I don’t think people realize that. You guys take it a little bit too far. This guy has three kids.”
Seahawks and Cowboys players appeared to exchange words after the play. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was accused of talking trash after Lockette's injury when cameras spotted him seemingly uttering a phrase that contained an expletive at Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin. Bryant was upset with reporters after the game, accusing them of portraying him as insensitive.
“I won’t ever, ever, ever, ever wish bad on a player that’s been knocked down,” Bryant said. “Come on man, stop with the bull s---. Not once did I say ‘Hey, that’s what you get.’ I got down on one knee and prayed for that man.”
Irvin said on Twitter after the game that it wasn’t trash talk directed at him or about Lockette:
Dez was talking to the officials the whole time never said anything about lock
— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) November 2, 2015 Cowboys safety Jeff Heath, the player who blindsided Lockette on the play, expressed his sympathy but would not say whether he felt his hit was dirty. Via ESPN:
“Once I saw that he was down like that, I felt horrible,” Heath said. “All the players in the NFL, it’s one big brotherhood. You don’t ever want to hurt a guy... I just felt horrible when I saw how hurt he was, and that wasn’t my intention at all.”
Asked if he thought it was a clean hit, Heath said: “I really haven’t seen the play. It’s bang-bang. So I really can’t comment on it until I see it, but I just I heard he’s OK. I heard he was moving. The doctor told me that they ran some tests and he’s doing all right so I’m just happy to hear that.”
Lockette’s teammates were shaken after witnessing him go down.
"The first thing you think about is, 'God, please allow him just to be able to walk,'" Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said, via the Morning News. "He was alert and talking, but you can tell it was bothering him. He was just trying to be strong. He is one of the most loved players in this locker room. It definitely affected our team, but he says he's OK, so I'm glad he's OK."
Bennett accused referees of not doing enough to protect players. Via the Morning News:
Heath was penalized 15 yards for a blindside block, but Bennett felt like the officials didn’t do a good enough protecting the players.
“I thought the referees sucked,” Bennett said. “When something happens like that it’s their job to protect the players but they haven’t been doing a very good job of it this year.
“These guys are getting paid lots of money to officiate a game and they should do a better job.”
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